title: The role of human decay-accelerating factor in the pathogenesis of preterm labor.
abstract: Complement activation is thought to contribute to the pathogenesis of preterm labor (PTL). Decay-accelerating factor (DAF) is a natural complement pathway inhibitor. Our hypothesis was that DAF expression on maternal white blood cells (WBCs) in women with preterm labor is elevated compared with women with no preterm labor. Our secondary objective was to determine if differences in upregulation of DAF levels correlated with clinical outcomes. Serial blood samples were obtained from 30 patients with a clinical diagnosis of PTL and a control group of 30 pregnant individuals (same gestational age range) to determine DAF expression in peripheral WBCs in both groups. DAF expression was higher in women with PTL (less than 37 weeks) compared with the control group without PTL. Subjects with PTL who delivered before 34 weeks had less DAF expression and different kinetics of expression compared with those carrying pregnancies beyond 34 weeks. These data suggest that women with a clinical diagnosis of preterm labor have increased DAF expression on peripheral WBCs. Furthermore, it appears that failure to elevate DAF expression is associated with a risk of early premature delivery.
authors.affiliation: Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, 301 University Blvd., Galveston, TX 77555, USA. ldpachec@utmb.edu
authors.forename: Luis D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Pacheco
authors.forename: Gary D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Hankins
authors.forename: Maged M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Costantine
authors.forename: Garland D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: Edyta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pawelczyk
authors.forename: Stella
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nowicki
authors.forename: Bogdan J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Nowicki
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018958:CD55 Antigens / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D003167:Complement Activation / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D007752:Obstetric Labor, Premature / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015854:Up-Regulation / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D018958:CD55 Antigens